England, South Africa and West Indies will finally leave India this weekend, the ICC hiring charter aircraft after commercial routes were knocked sideways by the military conflict in West Asia. The closures have played havoc with air-traffic patterns, leaving teams marooned long after their T20 World Cup exits.
England, beaten by India in Thursday’s second semi-final in Mumbai, are due to board a direct flight to London on Saturday evening. West Indies and South Africa, stationed in Kolkata since bowing out earlier in the week, will share a separate charter on Sunday. That flight is expected to hop first to Johannesburg, from where the Caribbean side will continue to Antigua.
Several South Africans – head coach Rob Walter, spinner Keshav Maharaj, plus Jason Smith and George Linde – must then transfer almost immediately to New Zealand, where a white-ball tour kicks off on 15 March. It is an awkward turnaround, though most players say they are relieved simply to be moving again.
Kolkata has become a holding pen of sorts. South Africa were knocked out by New Zealand in the first semi-final on 4 March; West Indies’ last match was the Super Eight defeat to India on 1 March. Since then the regional airspace log-jam has left squads relying on hotel gyms and patience.
“Day 6,” West Indies head coach Daren Sammy posted on X, a dry reminder of just how long his group had been waiting. Sammy’s frustration is understandable: the touring party has been away from home since 1 March, with no competitive cricket to focus the mind.
Zimbabwe experienced similar delays, finally securing seats out of India three days after their own tournament ended. The ICC insists contingency plans were activated as soon as the scale of the disruption became clear, though privately officials admit that lining up enough wide-body aircraft at short notice is never straightforward.
The T20 World Cup wraps up on Sunday when India meet New Zealand in Ahmedabad, ending a tournament that began back on 7 February across India and Sri Lanka. Once the final ball is bowled, the exodus can resume – just not on the usual crowded corridors of West Asian airspace.
There will be relief all round when players touch down, yet a lingering sense that, in modern cricket’s crowded calendar, even the journey home can turn into an unexpected bouncer.
